Memorable
by strawberrymegu
Summary: AU. James Potter, an auror-in-training, is a bad boy that smokes, drinks Firewhiskey and spends nights with girls met in a bar. He enjoys his life. But what will happen if one night in the Leaky Cauldron he meets a ginger that seems immune to his charm, one that he cannot forget about?


****Hi Guys! This is my first HP story written in English and published, although I've read hundreds of those. I hope you like it and I hope you will forgive any mistakes I could have made as it's not my native language (obviously...). Anyway, I hope you enjoy it. Please, review!****

**Chapter 1, Ginger****.**

__What's this? Do I sense your jealousy?__  
__I bet deep down you'd love to be ginger like me__  
__I knew a wise man, do you know what he said?__  
__Once you've tasted ginger you'll never want anything else instead__

(Caroline England)

James Potter was a bad boy.

And a very charming one indeed. If he wanted to be.

He smoked, a lot. No matter how many times Moony reminded him of all the consequences. He just smirked and pulled out another cigarette. _We all gonna die soon_, he said. _So why am I supposed to be worried about my lungs?_

And he drunk, a lot. Mostly Firewhiskey. When he had a bad mood (and it happened a lot considering his quite... explosive temper...) he could be seen sitting by the bar in the Leaky Cauldron with a small glass of amber liquid._ There is no better instant painkiller_, he said, _than alcohol._

And he liked girls too, a lot. They all seemed horribly attracted to him, so what was he supposed to do? Avoid them? Not a chance. When some lonely girl sat beside him by the bar, he just wanted to make her less lonely. And when a girl wasn't lonely at all, he was the one needing some cheering-up. _There is a reason why God, or whatever is up there_, he said, _makes us think about sex all the time._

Well, he had quite a philosophical nature, when in a right mood. Or drunk. Or smoking. Or after a nice shag with a nice girl.

He was also the best student in the auror course of that year. The most talented one for sure, sometimes focusing on wrong things though, at least according to some of his superiors. _Only if he wasn't so into smoking, drinking and girls_, they said_, he could achieve something big in his life._

But he was, unfortunately, a bad boy. And he wanted it to stay that way. Most of the time he considered his life good as it was. And he never had to complain about lack of entertainment. All those one-shot adventures with girls were also just enough for him. Or maybe – had been. **Until he met **_**her**_**.**

Back then, he was actually having one of those rare moments in his life when he wasn't entirely satisfied. He felt like something was missing. He just couldn't figure out what it was. So he, as usual, decided to think about it a little bit by the bar in the Leaky Cauldron. His favourite barmaid, something-over-twenty-with-nice-tits Lisa, served him his favourite drink and there was his favourite sports programme on the radio. So what the hell was wrong?

And then the back door opened and after a while _s_omeone petite slid onto the bar stool next to his, as this evening the Cauldron was quite crowded. He glanced over his shoulder and felt weird. Well, he couldn't describe it really… It was just _weird…_

Because what he expected to see was just some plain, but maybe even pretty witch in a bit too provocative outfit, with her unnatural curls done in some fancy girlish style and possibly too much makeup on. That was a type of girls that he was used to meet in the bar. They usually just sat there, counting for some boy to pay attention and make them feel special, even for one night and even just because of his hormones. They were usually so _willing _that there was nothing to brag about if you ended up in bed with one. No challenge, nothing new, nothing interesting.

Except that this girl seemed different. First thing that caught his eye was her hair, just a lot of long, tumbling _ginger_ curls that looked absolutely untamed, although held away from her face by a simple black, thin headband. He thought that she was one of few natural redheads of this almost carrot shade that he had seen in his live, although redheads altogether were quite common in Britain. But those hair was absolutely original, stunning and well… memorable.

He only saw her left profile but he could tell she had very pale skin, eyebrows a touch darker than hair and freckles. She was pretty, but not a classic beauty and one could not classify her as 'gorgeous'. Still, there was just something in her that was appealing, eye-catching. _Exotic_, maybe. And she seemed to have no makeup on, which for him was quite a nice change.

There was no short skirt, no high heels, tight tops or whatever, just plain blue jeans, black sweater and old trainers. She was young, perhaps younger than him, but not a teenager anymore. What was she doing here? He was intrigued.

"Hullo there" he said in his usual nonchalant tone, playing with his half-empty (yes, today it was half-_empty_) glass with one hand and stubbing out a cigarette in an ashtray with the other. She turned her face to him and James noticed one more unusual feature of hers – eyes. Sparkling, almond-shaped and emerald-green that stood against her pale skin.

She didn't react like most Bar Girls would do. She didn't smile or giggle or flutter eyelashes or do anything encouraging, which would have meant that she waited for him to use some pick-up line, talk a little, buy her a drink and then take her home. No, she looked tired and uninterested, even irritated.

"Hullo yourself" was her dry response. She turned back to Lisa. "Could I have a butterbeer, please? Thanks." Her accent was interesting. James tried to place it, but it wasn't obvious. It was a mix of Irish and… well, he wasn't sure, she didn't say enough words. Still, there was this funny "i" sounding like "oi", this particular "th", but English "r"… He liked listening to people's accents and guess, he was good at this.

She was intriguing, not only because of her speech, but because of her arrogant behaviour towards him. If she was trying to fob him off, she had to try harder. He decided to continue with casual conversation.

"I haven't seen you here before. New girl in town?"

She raised her eyebrows, but didn't face him.

"I would hardly call London a 'town'" she said, not answering his question. Her voice was feminine, but strong and sonorous. And Merlin, this _accent_! It was absolutely fascinating.

"Well, I definitely don't remember you from Hogwarts" he pushed. _And I would_, he added in thoughts.

Her next reaction was something that left him speechless for a few moments. Suddenly, she turned to him with outraged expression and gave him the most terrifying look he had ever experienced.

"Don't you? Well, that's funny. I clearly remember that _time _in a broom cupboard."

He froze, his jaw dropped. _What?_ Well, yes, he had had many _friends_ ('girlfriends' wasn't exactly a good word for them, well, most of them at least) in his school years, and yes, he enjoyed a good meaningless snog from time to time, but this was _the last_ he could expect. He started studying her face, trying to remember, but… He simply couldn't. He felt like running away.

Then her expression changed dramatically and she snorted in a very unladylike way.

"Merlin, that was priceless!" she chuckled and focused on a bottle of butterbeer (that Lisa had stood in front of her), taking a big gulp.

He blinked and then it became clear. This redhead made fun of him, jibed at him, made him look like a fool after an exchange of barely few words. James laughed at this cheerfully.

_She. Was. Stunning._

James Potter appreciated a good prank and a sense of humour. After he managed to get himself together, he just wanted to get to know this girl. She was definitely entertaining.

"Well, you got me" he smirked, not giving up. She threw him a funny look, half-amused, half-irritated. "Although I can assure you, I would remember you from Hogwarts. Can I at least hear your name?"

She rolled her eyes, which was absolutely adorable to James. She looked like making up her mind. She must have decided, because she turned her whole body towards him with a crooked, lazy and still a bit resistant smile.

"Oh, what the hell. Lily". _Lily_. She looked like someone with a flower name, he decided. She looked like a colourful, exotic flower, but still made an impression of being fragile. This name suited her well.

"It's pleasure to meet you, Hell Lily. I'm James." They shook hands. Hers were tiny and delicate, but the grip was firm. She was looking him straight in the eyes. "You have a very interesting accent. Irish, I think?"

Lily seemed surprised. "I didn't realise I had this accent. I'm English. I think it's a mix, though".

"So…" James narrowed his eyes, trying to figure this girl out. She was a riddle and he was going to solve it. "You did _not _go to Hogwarts, you're English but with slightly Irish accent. You went to Glenstall, then" he announced after a while. _That_ definitely left her dumbstruck, which meant he guessed right. He smirked with self-satisfaction.

"This is confusing" she said suddenly, frowning, her expression ambiguous. "There you are, a typical Bar Guy _and _debating about accents. Definitely not an unwonted pick-up line if you ask me. And I must admit you are one of few Hogwarts guys I've met that even _heard _about Glenstall".

"Then I was right".

"Obviously…"

"I've heard about Glenstall for a reason. My mother is Irish. Her parents wanted her to go there, unsuccessfully, thanks Merlin".

This caught Lily's attention. "And it's a reason for your knowledge of Irish accent".

"Obviously" he mocked her a bit.

Lily chuckled to her bottle. It was almost empty now. She definitely didn't have a problem with drinking fast in a boy's presence. For a minute they both focused on their drinks, but the silence wasn't awkward, just enjoyable. That was strange. Yes, he was attracted to her in some undefined way. But not in an usual way. There was just something about her… Her sincerity and wits that were present in this brief conversation. James didn't want this acquaintance to end _too _soon.

"So what made you hide in a bar on a beautiful evening like this, Lily?" he tried. "Don't feel offended, but the Cauldron isn't really a place for a girl like you, especially alone".

Another crooked smile and eyebrows raised. "Is that so? And why is that? Is it _dangerous_? Are you suggesting I am supposed to be afraid of… who? Bar Guys like you?"

He noticed she never answered his questions, at least not directly. James ignored her dig and just looked at her expectantly. Besides, he noticed the way she had called him, a "Bar Guy". Didn't he call her a "Bar Girl" just minutes ago in his thoughts? Interesting. She signed.

"I've just moved in and started a new job. I guess we can say I'm a 'new girl in town' as you said. I'm quite used to hang out in Irish bars… But as I have no friends here, I am destined to sit here alone".

_Not anymore_, thought James, but only smiled politely.

Slowly, he managed to start a more fluid conversation with her. She let him buy her another butterbeer and then, although surprisingly reluctantly, she agreed for a glass of Firewhiskey. Sitting there with him by the bar, she started to open up a bit. Minutes flew by and they found themselves talking about their school experiences. James had never been in such a situation before. He had experiences with Bar Girls, girls that were almost like girlfriends and study-buddies that were girls. But he had never talked for hours with any of them, _just like that_. That was something sure, something normal, something traditional – he went for a drink and if he met someone interesting, he took her home and that was end of story. As for talking? He had his best friends, Sirius, Remus and Peter for that. And Emmeline, a fellow auror-in-training who he'd known since childhood. But she wasn't someone he could ever be romantically interested in. Emma was like sister.

With Lily, talking like that occurred to be completely natural. He'd known her for something about half an hour now and he wasn't thinking about shagging her, he just wanted to get to know her. Well, yes, she was attractive and he felt enchanted and he wouldn't mind a kiss if offered from a pretty girl. It was just… something different. Maybe it was because of her nonchalant behaviour and sharp sense of humour or maybe evident intelligence. Or that they laughed a lot. He wasn't sure yet. Maybe it was the whole package.

Lily turned out to be a year younger than him, graduated year and a half before from Glenstall Witchcraft Academy in Ireland, a school only for girls placed in an old manor on the outskirts of Dundalk. She had plenty of funny stories about living for seven years with two hundreds girls and claimed it to be "traumatic, like trying to survive in a cage with hundreds of hungry, hormonally-unstable lionesses".

"You didn't have many chances to meet boys then" he remarked, which she paid off with a brilliant laugh, throwing her head back gracefully. James liked that, it reminded him of his first big crush long time ago. Suddenly he felt big urge to light another cigarette. He pulled the crumpled package out of his pocket. "Do you mind? Or want one?" he asked.

"I don't. Mind or want. About boys… we shared grounds with Faughart, you know, like a male version of Glenstall. And they let us invite them for dances in school twice a year. Younger girls used to ask all the time why someone hadn't just _merged_ those two. It would have been less boring for sure. Well, our headmistress seemed to think that she was _protecting ' _young ladies' from corruption or something…" Lily found it very amusing. For a while she looked like lost in memories, smiling gently to herself. "There were _very _restrictive rules concerning our possible interactions with boys, if you know what I mean. But we had our ways to dodge them. _If only she knew…_".

Well, that girl was _something_. James imagined the redhead in her school years and laughed too. Still, he couldn't fight the impression that she resembled a lot a girl from James' past. He tried not to stare.

Her parents were both from small city Sunbury-on-Thames in Surrey when she also grew up. She had elder sister, Petunia, which she mentioned briefly, turning a bit glum then and taking a big gulp of her drink, so James didn't question further. But there was something weird that he couldn't stop wondering about.

"I am just curious… You say your parents are both English, then why didn't you go to Hogwarts? I mean, isn't there some jurisdiction?"

But he didn't get an answer. Instead, Lily gave him that smile of hers and said: "Complicated".

So he didn't push it. She changed the subject and from one word to another, they started talking about their jobs. It turned out that she was an intern in St. Mungo's. She had just finished her year-long training in Dublin when was offered an internship in London.

"It came rather unexpectedly, actually… But well, it was a good time. Best, I would say. So why not?" she shrugged. "And here I am". Saying this, she sounded like there was something more in this story. _One mysterious girl_,James thought.

There was a silence and their eyes connected. Hers were truly beautiful, almost hypnotizing. He noticed her eyebrows were slightly unsymmetrical and her skin was practically covered with freckles, but most of them were very fair, almost invisible, while others, on her nose and cheeks, stood out. He felt something sucking and rolling in his stomach.

Then she broke eye contact, for the first time looking very uncomfortable. She peeped at a clock above the bar and at her empty glass, her cheeks becoming pink in quite an endearing way.

"Well, it's late, and I'm tired. Thank you for the talk and for the drinks. I had some nice time. But I better get going". Lily reached for a small denim purse lying on the counter. When she stood, he noticed how short she was.

He didn't want her to go. _Oh, he didn't want her to leave. _Before she could turn around and do it, he grabbed her wrist in a sudden impulse.

"Listen…" he started, noticing her bemusement and felt oddly nervous. _Nervous! _James Potter nervous because of _a girl_! He tried to suck it up and started again, not letting go of her wrist. "Listen, Lily, you said you don't know many people here and I… well, I enjoyed this evening quite a bit too. I'm meeting a bunch of people from auror training here on Friday night, so why don't you join us?"

She didn't meet his gaze and blushed a bit more, but there was a small smile on her lips. "Who knows?" was her evasive response.

"I could walk you home, you know? It's really late and it's London" he tried, with no hidden intentions (maybe for the first time in his life?).

Lily snorted. "Merlin, James…" she mocked him. "Not so subtle, are you? I can apparate just fine by myself, thanks".

He admired her graceful manner of walking and ginger curls swinging side to side as she headed towards the back door, where the quiet alley provided best spot for apparition.

And there she was gone.


End file.
